How do you find the area of a triangle whose vertices are a(2,4) b(-2,0) and C(4,-2)?

1 Answer
Gió
Sep 29, 2015

I found an area of #16# units of area.

Explanation:

Here I would use a matrix/determinant method where the area #A# can be found as:
#Area=+-1/2|(2,4,1),(-2,0,1),(4,-2,1)|=+1/2*32=16#
This formula is based upon the evaluation of the determinant of the matrix formed by the coordinates of the vertices of the triangle with a column of #1# (on the right) times #1/2#. The #+-# sign is to ensure a positive area (in the case that the choice of order of disposition of vertices in the matrix gives you a negative area).

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